What Others Are Saying

December 09, 2009|By W. James Antle III, The American Spectator

As Afghanistan continues to unravel, the politics of the war creates strange bedfellows. Already Sen. Arlen Specter, a pro-war Republican turned endangered Democrat, has come out against the escalation while his liberal primary challenger, Congressman Joe Sestak, supports it.

Obama has tried to please everyone, but he may end up satisfying no one. He is not taken seriously by those who believe Afghanistan is essential to American national security interests. His Democratic base no longer believes Afghanistan, unlike Iraq, is the good war. And the Republicans he is counting on to support him have a long history of turning against Democrat wars.